Canadian Open betting: The derivative markets

Decades from now, golf fans will be following entirely different players. There's no one to have blind allegiances to, nor should there be. The personalities are what drive interest in the game - but that doesn't apply to just human personalities. Every spring we await the familiar sights of TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National, among others.

So when a tournament like the Canadian Open goes away for three years, its return is extra special, with a new host venue in St. George's Golf and Country Club - considered a top course in the country. Many of the game's best players arrive in Toronto excited to play a course that should provide a challenging tune-up for next week's U.S. Open.

Those respecting the history of a national championship will have to navigate a new course and a setup that should demand respect. We've already laid out who to back and fade on the oddsboard, so let's take a peek at the specific markets to peruse at the Canadian Open.

Head-to-head matchups

Justin Thomas (-110) over Scottie Scheffler

Fading Scheffler is frightening, but I like Thomas for another good week - as a veteran with all the shots - on a new course for the vast majority of this field. He'll have regard for the nature of a national Open and won't just treat it as a tune-up.

Shane Lowry (-115) over Corey Conners

Conners has home-country advantage, but the self-imposed pressure has been proven too much for previous contending Canucks. Lowry's in better form and his consistency over four rounds gives him the edge in this matchup.

Adam Hadwin (-110) over Sebastian Munoz

It's hard to tell whether this is going to be a birdie-fest the way Glen Abbey's Canadian Opens have been, but if it's not, Munoz is less likely to have a great showing. Hadwin has a 59 on his resume, and he made a name for himself way back in 2010 - the last time the event was held at St. George's - when he shot 68-66 to make the cut as a Canadian TOUR pro.

Brandt Snedeker (-115) over Luke Donald

A cheeky matchup between a pair of contenders in 2010's tournament who are now veteran exemptions. Let's back an ambassador of the event's title sponsor, Snedeker, who's coming off of two straight made cuts.

Cameron Champ (+110) over Aaron Rai

Champ has the power to go low on a course that should suit big drivers of the golf ball, and if that low round happens on Thursday, that would mean bonus cash from our last derivative market bet.

Top 20

The odds in the top-20 market are based on the probability in the outright winner market, but those might not correlate for many players. Some are just more likely to play well enough for a good week without rising to the top. Here are my favorite bets - long and short - to quietly have a nice week.

First-round leader

The Canadian Open was once seen as somewhere an obscure TOUR player could grab a win, but with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and a former world No. 1 with a newly boosted bank account all putting their stamps on this event recently, that's no longer the case. There's still room for an 18-hole leader from deep down the board, though. Here's a group that's capable of starting hot and how you might split a unit across a portfolio of players:

I'll take Scheffler at 20-1 to do anything. Obviously, the possibility of a chop with a tied first-round lead and his perceived advantage throughout four rounds are why his odds are longer in this market than for the whole tournament.

Danny Lee won't sustain for four rounds but can pop with a 65 at random times. On Monday, Buckley and Lingmerth dueled in a U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier, so if they can keep up their good play, maybe they can parlay that into a big first round.

Matt Russell is a betting writer for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on Twitter @mrussauthentic.